My father-in-law was not in favor of our marriage. But since his daughter and now my wife had accepted my proposal, he had no choice but to agree. In fact, everyone from our families were supporting the union, except for him!
For the first few months, he did not speak to me, even on phone. While I continued to make efforts to get him to talk, he successfully avoided my every attempt.
Recently, when I bought my Renault Kiger, we went to his place to show him the new car. My mother-in-law was very pleased with the interiors while my brother-in-law loved the SUV exteriors and a host of high-end features that Kiger was equipped with.
I knew my father-in-law was a car enthusiast so I thought I will try and break some ice by talking about Renault Kiger’s performance. Since we were staying overnight, I thought I will broach the topic during dinner.
While the table was being set up, I was sitting alone with him at the dining table.
“Dad, would you like to have a test drive to check the Renault Kiger’s performance? I asked.
“No” he sternly replied browsing through his phone, “I prefer my sedan”.
From the corner of my eye, I saw my wife, her brother and my mother-in-law peeking from behind the wall prompting me to continue with my efforts. I tried to ignore them and continue with my conversation.
“While a sedan is good, the Kiger offers you features and performance that even your sedan doesn’t,” I said.
“Like what?” he questioned me without batting an eyelid. I was happy that the conversation had at least moved ahead.
“Like it is available in dual-tone across all variants, has tri-octa pure vision LED headlamps, diamond-cut alloy wheels, huge boot space of 405L which is expandable up to 879L by folding the rear seats, rear knee room of 222 mm, cabin storage of 29L, a striking SUV stance, 20.32 cm touchscreen, 3D sound by ARKAMYS, clean air filters, and automatic AC too” I explained trying to make the most of the opportunity in my hand.
“But how is the Renault Kiger’s performance? How are the engine and transmission?” he said keeping down his phone.
I could hear a sigh of relief from behind the wall but feigned not to have heard it.
“The Kiger’s performance is top class,” I said confidently. “I have a 1L petrol engine which has a maximum power output of 72PS @6250 RPM and a maximum torque of 96NM @3500 RPM.”
“And what about the safety and stability of the car,” he asked me, removing his spectacles.
“It comes with 2 front and 2 side airbags for the front passengers, ABS & EBD and rear & front parking cameras” I continued with the conversation.
“But the best part that makes my Renault Kiger’s performance superior over any sedan is its AMT drive and 205 mm of high ground clearance” I finally played my ace cards knowing very well that he had a manual drive sedan and was always irritated due to its low ground clearance.
“And the price?” he asked me as if it was his last question.
“Starts at just Rs. 5.64 lakh* (Ex-showroom Delhi) plus Renault is currently celebrating its 10th anniversary in India so their ‘Buy now, pay in 2022’ offer allows you to take home any of the Renault cars including the Kiger” I knew I had hit the winning six!
“Ok. Let’s check it out after dinner” he finally had a smile on his face.
After we were done with our dinner, we went for the promised drive with him in the driver’s seat. Halfway through he said, “Let’s have some ice cream” and turned the car towards a famous shop in their area. Everyone was as relieved as they were excited but managed to keep their calm.
We reached home and he parked the car.
Just when we were about to get out of the car, he finally said to me, “Your Renault Kiger’s performance is indeed top class, but you played the man-of-the-match innings today!”
That moment, I knew that I had won one of the most difficult matches of my life!
